Storm Draco
by longbottomness
Summary: DMHG. Two new teachers, one troubled past. Can two former enemies get past their past to move on to something more?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just having fun.**

**Hello everyone! So I began this fic about a year ago, and I abandoned it but now I think I'm ready to finish it, so I'm revamping it and sending it back out chapter by chapter.**

**A/N: So obviously my version and the books don't really mesh. You can discern for yourself what I kept from the book and what I didn't. ENJOY!!**

Hermione placed the book carefully into her briefcase and closed the lid tightly. She was more nervous on this day than she ever had been fighting the Dark Lord or any of his minions. She took a deep breath before exiting her new small bedroom and walking straight through her new office into the classroom she would now call her own.

When McGonagall first asked her to be the new Arithmancy professor, she graciously declined claiming that she would be no good as a teacher, and would much prefer to keep her desk job at the Ministry. However, due to the shortage of good and talented teachers, McGonagall made Hermione feel guilty enough to take the job. Though she knew she didn't have much patience, she hoped she would gain that in time. Of course Ron and Harry thought it would be great opportunity for her.

"You waste your talents at that Ministry, Hermione, and you know it," Harry told her when she first gave him the news of her offer.

"Besides, you can't expect those kids to be able to function properly without knowing all about Arithmancy!" Ron perked up sarcastically. "I mean, come on Hermione, you love that school, and you nearly died when we graduated. It'll do you good to get back there." She knew they had a point, and she sighed as she thought of how she really did almost die when she left Hogwarts. She hated to leave the place that brought all the joy she now knew into her life, and she really should be grateful for the chance to return.

She glanced at the clock – 8:12 a.m. In three minutes, the new students would be filing in, finding seats among their housemates and all eager to hear what she would have to say. She gulped, counting down the seconds. As grateful as she should have been, her nerves were getting the best of her. She was never skilled at speaking in front of large audiences, nor was she the greatest instructor, but if McGonagall had faith in her, and Harry and Ron thought this would be good for her, then how could it possibly go wrong?

The door to her classroom flung open and she shot up from her chair to greet the eager second years. This was the cream of Hogwarts crop, for not just any second year could handle the stain of a subject like Arithmancy and Hermione beamed a broad smile at them to ease their fears.

She watched them as they all looked around to see who was in their class and whom they could sit by and getting the "first day" gitters out of their systems. She allowed them a moment to quiet down before she began.

"Good morning class. My name is Professor Granger," she choked a little at the bad taste the title left in her mouth, "and I am your Arithmancy teacher. In this class you will expected to comprehend and excel in the realm of numbers. We will learn to work with and analyze the magical properties of numbers, and I warn you, there are many and they can be rather difficult at times. We will not only be dealing with numerical works. You will also be expected to write a selected number of essays on topics that you will receive at a later date. Now if any of you have issues or problems with any of this I advise you to take it up with your head of house immediately." She scanned the crowd, noting all the now fearful faces. "So if there are no questions, let's begin."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

As she heard the door close from the last student leaving, she finally released the breath she'd been holding since class began. Everything seemed to go all right, and her students were well enough behaved to take on the topic of numbers, but she still wasn't sure of her own ability. She groaned as she remembered she would have to give her speech three more times that day.

Just as she was about to put her head down in agony, a scrawny, tiny owl pecked at her window. She smiled as she recognized Pigwidgeon and moved to let him in, breaking off a bit of her morning toast for him. Opening the window, the bird became overly excited.

"Calm down, Pig. I swear, as old as you are, you really shouldn't get so excited. Here, this is for you," she handed over the toast, which he gobbled up hungrily, and took the note attached to his leg. The owl waited expectantly. "Well, go on. I don't have anymore!" He huffed as he flitted his wings and took off. Hermione closed the window and moved back to her desk.

Tearing open the letter she saw it stained with coffee and something she hoped was chocolate. She read the letter aloud, "Dear Hermione, we hope your first day is going well. We know you'll do a great job and don't worry about those tyrannous kids. Just remember, we were that age once and we ALWAYS feared the teacher more than they could ever fear us. Good luck in the rest of the day, and well see you at your first Hogsmeade weekend. Love, Ron, Harry, Ginny and the kids. P.s. Forgive the coffee stain and chocolate. Ron was in a rush."

She smiled as she folded the letter and walked it back to her room. The best part about her schedule was that she had an hour break in between each of her classes, giving her time to recuperate.

She placed the letter gently into a box of things she cherished, and let the parchment mingle with the boxes older inhabitants: Crookshanks' collar, her first perfect grade from first year, her old Gryffindor quidditch flag, a hat she made for Dobby, and of course her old time turner. The sand had been removed so to ensure it could never be used again, but she couldn't let it go. There were other, less important things in the box, but she always kept her memorabilia from her days at Hogwarts on the top. They meant the most to her.

She was about to reorganize her paperwork in her office for the hundredth time since her arrival when another knock interrupted her. This one was much more intrusive and louder than that of Pig's, and the urgency of the owl caught her attention. Walking up to it, she noticed it looked familiar, but couldn't place it to its owner, but she couldn't help but think how much it looked like an eagle. As she opened the window, the bird pushed passed her into the room and spit out the note on her desk and darted back out into the wild.

"Well if that isn't the rudest owl I've ever encountered," she muttered to herself as she took the note from her desk, again reading it aloud. "Ms. Granger, your immediate presence is required in the Headmistress's office. And do please hurry; I am awfully busy today."

She searched the note over as to whom it was from, but there was no name.

'Surly McGonagall wouldn't send something so short and rude and without a name,' Hermione thought as she made her way to the Headmistress's office, 'and that wasn't her owl, I know.' She stopped her thoughts as she stood in front of the stone gargoyle.

"Jumping Jeans." It moved aside to allow her to pass, and her mind was racing all the while she made her way up the stone steps then finally to the large wooden door. She went to knock, but a booming and sickeningly familiar voice stopped her.

"It's already open Ms. Granger. Come in." She knew the owner of the voice before she stepped in the room, but her fears were made real as she saw Draco Malfoy standing regally tall before her in the empty office.

"Malfoy?! What are you doing here?"

"Please, Ms. Granger. Can't we get passed childish nicknames? It's Draco, or if you wish to be more formal, Professor Malfoy." A lump of hate swelled in her throat and she tried with all her being to swallow it down to let him continue.

"I apologize for misleading you into thinking the note was from the Headmistress, but I knew you wouldn't come if you knew the note was from me personally, though I feared my owl would give me away," he said with a small smile in his face which only gave Hermione cause to worry. "I was curious as to how your first class went."

Hermione was relatively speechless. Why was he asking her how her first day went? As far as she remembered, they hated each other, and no amount of niceness could alter that. She decided that with any of the Malfoys, a strong defense was best.

"Why do want to know," she asked, a little snootier than she probably needed.

Sensing her defensiveness, Draco tried to explain. "Well, it's not that I really care Ms. Granger, it more that I have to care. You see you and I are going to be working together quite a bit this year, so I figured we could bury the hatchet right here for good. Well, at least bury it blade side down, for both our safety." Hermione was getting suspicious.

"Why are we going to be working together?" His slight smile returned.

"As it turns out, the Ministry feels my family has paid its debt to the wizarding world, and that we Malfoys can finally come out of seclusion. Being that my last bit of experience before my homely imprisonment comes from this school, I deemed it only right that I come back to it. While locked away, I focused on my studies and, because of my father's…behavior, I became an expert on defense against the dark arts." He paused to see if Hermione would put the pieces together herself, and seeing the blank look on her face, he continued.

"Hogwarts needed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and I am well beyond qualified, so I took the offer to teach here." He waited for her response, and after what seemed like forever, he spoke again. "When I learned that you were teaching here Ms. Granger, I decided that, regardless of who it was, it would be nice to have one familiar face around for company. So, what do you say? Friends?" He stuck out his hand and gave her a forced smile.

Slowly, as the pieces began to fall into place, Hermione's face of utter shock began to form into a face of anger and disgust. She couldn't control the loud tirade that was moments from spilling out of her mouth.

"Are you kidding me?! First you practically order me here like I am you slave, then you tell me that you'll only be nice because you have to and then you say that you only want to be 'friends' because I'm a familiar face, but you obviously would rather I be someone else. You know, _Malfoy_, you really haven't changed one bit. All those years away from society have done you no good. How about you go on pretending I don't exist, and the next time you want to speak to me, send your bird. _He_ seems more civilized than you ever will."

With her little monologue out of her system, Hermione stormed out of the room, and with the intensity of her feet hitting the floor, she was reminded of every time in her school years when Draco would upset her. Not wanting to relive those days in any way, she lightened her steps and made it calmly back to her classroom. What nerve he had assuming she would make nice for work's sake. Hermione knew that things would be no different than when she was in school, and with that thought she prepared herself for the rest of the year and the storm that would be Draco.

**So I hope you like. More to come and reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: As I have already said, not my characters. Just having fun!**

Hermione slammed the door behind her and fumed quietly. She knew she would need to calm down before her next class came in, but everything about that man infuriated her. That _man_. It wasn't long ago that it was that _boy_ that made her constantly angry, but regardless of how he aged, it was still an inconsiderate jerk. How could McGonagall even think he would be a good teacher? She took the rest of her break to calm herself down and just as she reached a mellow and cool atmosphere, the door swung open with bright new faces, eager for educating.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The class went well enough for the first day, and Hermione couldn't wait until later in the year when they would begin to tackle actual challenging work, though her students probably could wait. She was so busy planning for her next class that she had forgotten all about Draco and his rudeness, and nearly about lunch. Glancing at her watch, she ran to the Great Hall. It occurred to her on the way that had her train not been late, she could have seen Draco at the welcoming dinner, and had she not over slept, she would have seen him at breakfast that morning. It was almost as if she wasn't meant to see him before their little meeting in McGonagall's office. Oh, how cruel the Fates were.

She walked swiftly passed the long rows of student tables, nodding to all the "hello Professor Granger"s, and took her seat at the faculty table, avoiding all eye contact. This was her first time at this table and she couldn't help but notice how different the view was from up here. She acknowledged the teacher to her left, Prof. Willenat who was the new Charms teacher. He was nice enough, but Hermione placed him at about a hundred years old and not one to make conversation. The chair to her right was empty and looking past it she nodded to McGonagall and the few professors she remembered from her days in school. She didn't see, however, the one person she wanted to avoid, and remembering that the only available seat was next to her, she groaned with realization.

Suddenly a burst of girly giggles interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see Draco Malfoy walking down between the tables. He was dressed in a black, tailored suit and his hair was parted well on the side and as he walked, he winked at nearly every giggling girl he could see. Hermione saw some of them literally swoon. She was reminded briefly of Professor Lockhart and rolled her eyes and avoided his at all costs.

"Hello again Ms. Granger," he said calmly as he took his seat next to hers and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice. Hermione continued chewing her food, ignoring his comment.

"You do realize you can't ignore me the entire year."

"Watch me," she retorted, not meeting his gaze. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Regardless of what you may think of me, I have changed. You wouldn't know because well, you would never give me the chance to show you. I doubt you could understand the troubles I went through while in seclusion. I didn't see anyone my age for years and now that I'm finally free from the prison my father made for me, its unbearable that I'm shunned from everyone. It was only by the graces of McGonagall that I even have this opportunity. God only knows how I would have ended up if Hogwarts hadn't been a part of my life…" Hermione noticed that Draco had stopped looking at her, and that he seemed to be talking to himself. A twinge of sympathy went out to him, but she regained herself just as quickly.

"Well, Malfoy, if you want to prove to someone you've changed, acting the same as you use to is not the way to accomplish that goal." He snapped back to attention.

"I would like to apologize for all that. Though it would hardly excuse that behavior, I had just gotten of the train and a group of children began making jabs at me about my father. It seems his faults and their cruelty will never fade away." The distant look in his eyes returned.

"Oh well. What can one do in this situation but overcome it?" He returned to his lunch as though Hermione had never even been there. She went to speak but thought better of it. They both allowed the remainder of the meal to pass in silence.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was the fourth and last class of the day, and Hermione was anxious to get it over with. This class would be nothing but sixth years and she anticipated the higher maturity level. Well, she hoped for it anyway.

They filed in as usual and took their seats and as Hermione finished the same speech she had given three times before, a brown haired boy in the back piped up.

"So will you be giving private tutoring lessons?" His tone and slight smirk let everyone know his game and a loud snicker raced around the room. Hermione knew that she would have at least one student like him, the comedian and the heckler.

"I will give extra help to those who need it, but I will not tolerate passivity in this class. Each student will do his or her best to achieve perfect marks. Now, on to--"

"So, is Arithmancy the _only_ thing you give tutoring on?" Again the snickers raced and Hermione was getting tired.

"Excuse me, but what is your name?"

"Aaron Dean, and might I say you look dashing in your robes Ms. Granger."

"Well Aaron, firstly it's Professor Granger, or if that's too difficult, Professor will do, and secondly, of course you may remark on my robes…in detention tomorrow afternoon." The snickers turned into deathly silence and Aaron's smile faded slightly. Hermione returned to her lessons and the rest of class continued on without a hitch.

After a majority of the students left, the one called Aaron approached her desk.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Aaron?" He looked down at his shoes as in shame.

"I just wanted to apologize about earlier. I just get cocky when I get nervous."

"Well that's an odd reaction to nerves. Why exactly were you nervous?" He blushed slightly before answering.

"I always seem to get nervous around beautiful women." Now it was Hermione's turn to blush, but she hid it well.

"Well, I'll admit there are plenty of beautiful women in your year, but that's no reason to get yourself into trouble. Now you need not worry about detention tomorrow, but next time I won't be as kind."

"Thanks Professor," he said skipping out of the room, but not before turning around on last time. "And Professor? I wasn't talking about the girls in the class." Before she could respond, he was gone.

How perfect was this year turning out? First she had to be away from her friends, second, one of her most hated enemies wanted to be buddies and now one of her students had a crush on her. She now could only anticipate what else this strange year would bring.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She was more anxious going to dinner that night than she should have been, and just as she entered the Great Hall, she realized she couldn't face both Draco and Aaron, and so she doubled back and made for the library. Being no stranger to eating alone in there, she didn't mine the silence and in fact she welcomed it. As she walked to a random table, she grabbed a book randomly off the shelf to read. She never had to search for a book, for no matter what she picked it would be tantalizing simply to learn.

The book dealt with werewolves, a topic of which she knew well, but she read anyway. She was at least a hundred pages in before she realized that she hadn't touched her food. Knowing that reading and eating was never safe for her to do at the same time, she put the book away and decided to work on lesson plans while she ate. Hermione's mind was so full of werewolf facts by this point that her legible writing slowly began to turn into werewolf doodles. Soon her food was abandoned all together and she devoted herself fully to the extremely detailed wolf that looked remarkably like her old friend Remus Lupin. She never even noticed the tears that filled her eyes.

"You miss them don't you?" she heard a voice ask her and she answered without a second thought.

"It just doesn't seem fair. They were all so good; I just don't understand why they had to die. There was so much they had left to give and do. There were so many promises left broken…" her voice trailed off into nothing. The voice waited for her to keep talking and seeing she was done, he sat down across from her.

"Hermione, I am truly sorry for every wrong I did to you in school. I hate who I was then, and I hope you can forgive me." At this last declaration, Hermione realized who was sitting across from her and she jolted up.

"Malfoy! What are you doing here?!"

"I heard you crying," he responded equally shocked.

"I was not crying. I was…thinking loudly." He was not convinced.

"Your thinking sounded a lot like crying." Hermione began to pack her things and rose to leave when Draco grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, please. Can you ever forgive me?" She glanced from his grip on her arm to his eyes and though her eyes were wet, they now burned with a fire she couldn't control.

"Forgive you?" She yanked her arm free of his grasp. "You turned against all of us Malfoy. You made a pack with the Dark Lord and in turn decided your future. You have no one to blame for your unhappiness but yourself. You helped kill the people I loved most. You killed parts of my family. How dare you ask for forgiveness from me? Why don't you ask Molly Weasley for forgiveness for tearing her family apart? Or how about Remus Lupin and Tonks, and what about their son Teddy who will never know how great his parents were and how much they sacrificed? Why don't you ask Harry Potter for forgiveness for taking away his godfather, and the last chance at a normal family he had in this world?" Her tears were uncontrollable as she sat back down at the table and placed her head in her hands.

Draco had the strange desire to touch her and console her. He didn't understand the desire he had inside of him and it scared him a little. Sure he wanted to be friendly with this girl he once hated, but he was looking to make amends with everyone he'd ever hurt. He just wanted to apologize; he didn't need all this extra emotion involved. Why was she so demanding of his emotional energy. His right mind told him that Hermione Granger would never forgive him and that he should leave, but it was his heart, oddly enough, that told him to stay.

"Hermione," he began softly, "I know there's nothing I can ever do to make all this right. I can't give you back the ones you lost and I suppose you'll never be able to forgive me for the damage I've helped create, and it's wrong of me to expect you to. I can't change the past, but I can affect the future…if you'll let me." Hermione perked up her wet and weary eyes to his proposal.

"What do you mean, if I let you?"

"Well, if you remain so resistant towards me, it'll be hard for me to make it up to you." Hermione sighed wearily.

"There is no making it up to me."

"Well let me try. Please. I've spent the last ten years reflecting on everything that happened. It was so…pointless and evil. I don't ever want to be that person again, but I need help. Will you help me?"

She couldn't make heads or tails of his confessions; being so use to his conniving and vindictive ways, she knew it would be difficult to trust anything he said and harder to see him as a good guy. It would be hard, but…Hermione believed people could change, so why should Malfoy not be able to? What did she have to lose? Well, her sanity for one, but she was losing that already. She looked at him through clearer eyes and saw him for what he was: a lost, lonely and broken man. How could she not help? She spoke barely above a whisper, but her heard her just the same.

"Fine. I'll help."

**Hope you like!! Don't forget reviews and thanks in advance!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: you know the deal.**

"Honestly Sherri, I don't understand your methods. How will they learn without practical knowledge?" Hermione huffed at her new friend, Sherri Lowenthal, the new Muggle Studies professor. Sherri had been a professor at the Salem School for Witches in America, where she had learned, but wanting a wider knowledge of the wizarding world, she decided to take a teaching position at Hogwarts. It only took moments for Sherri and Hermione to become close friends.

"Listen 'Mione, these kids don't care about boring muggles. They want lights and bleeps and sparks. It's the magic that gets them excited, not muggle studies knowledge." Hermione huffed a little.

"Well, still, you could get a little more excited about your topic."

"Sure, excited about snotty children and the parents who not only wipe the child's nose, but then puts the napkin in their pocket. I tell you those muggles are a strange people."

"I think they're alright."

"That's only because you came from them." They shared a smile and went back to their work, until Sherri couldn't hold it in any longer.

"So, 'Mione, tell me. You interested in anybody?" She was taken off guard by the question.

"NO!" Now Sherri was the one in shock.

"Wow, I wasn't asking if you killed anyone. I just wanted to know if you were thinking about dating anyone." Hermione visibly calmed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just…no…no I'm not seeing anyone. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. I've been taking a gander at the men at this school and so far I've noticed that if they aren't married, a dwarf, or already dead, the pickings are slim. Was it like this when you went to school here?" Hermione thought for a moment.

"No actually. Most of our male teachers were rather handsome. Let's see, there was Lockhart, and Lupin, and Quirrell, if you like the quiet, nervous type. Then there was Snape—" Sherri spit out her coffee.

"Snape?! As in Severus?!"

"Well, he was handsome in a…severe sort of way." Sherri gave a small shudder. "And besides, I tend to base handsomeness not only on the outside, but also what's inside a man. Severus was a good man."

"Okay, okay. But did you notice that every man you named was once the DADA professor? I think you have a think for the DADA professor, regardless of who he is." Hermione unknowingly blushed.

"I doubt it. Besides, it's not my fault that the position can't seem to stay filled, and they keep replacing it with nice looking men." Sherri stood from her seat to leave.

"So I can go tell Draco you have the hots for him, correct?" Hermione jumped from her seat and grabbed Sherri's arm.

"If you cherish the life you now have, you will do no such thing."

"Relax Granger, I was joking," she said, gently removing her arm from Hermione's grasp. "You seem a little touchy about Mr. Malfoy if I do say so myself."

"Go now before I really try to murder you." Sherri winked at her friend and left the room.

Hermione looked around the teachers' lounge and hated how she and Sherri seemed the only ones ever to use it.

"The majority of the professors here prefer the sanctity of their own classrooms," McGonagall would tell her, but she rook advantage of the quiet when she could, but would also like to have someone besides her American friend Sherri to talk to from time to time.

She sat back down in her seat and looked over the partially made lesson plans for the next few weeks, but her mind was far from them. It had been one week exactly since day one of school, and a week since her talk with Draco and she had done a great job ignoring him. She took all her meals in her room and whenever she even thought she saw him coming down the hall, she would dive into the nearest open door. As proud as she was of being able to avoid him, she also knew that she would have to face him sooner or later, and the knock on the door told her it would be sooner. She quickly looked for an open window, but remembering she was on the eighth floor she knew jumping was out of the question. There was nowhere to go and so she braced herself.

"May I come in?" she heard him ask from the slightly opened door.

"This is the teachers' lounge. I'd hardly think you would need my permission." He entered the room slowly and took the seat across from her.

"Well I'd hardly think that as well, but with the way you've been avoiding me, I figured you didn't want to see me, so you probably wouldn't want me barging in on you." Hermione suddenly realized how silly she had been.

"No, I've been avoiding everyone," she lied, "because I've been so incredibly busy. Teaching is much more difficult than I thought it would be."

"I can't imagine anything being difficult for you, Ms. Granger."

"You'd be amazed." He smiled at her and she smiled back. It was in that moment that Hermione felt every conflicting emotion at once. She was born to hate this man, but now she was sharing a smile with him.

"Well, Malfoy, how is teaching DADA going for you?" Draco gave a deep sigh.

"It's actually rather difficult. Well, it wouldn't be if my students would be a little less cruel. It seems they can't get past my name. You should have heard them on the first day when I introduced myself. You could have heard the gasp throughout the halls I'm sure. The most painful part was that I had to hear it four times that day. They all seem to think that I'm secretly training them for the return of the Dark Lord, and so they won't listen to a word I say. It's rather upsetting really." Draco looked at Hermione expectantly as though he was looking for guidance.

"Well, that's just…awful," she responded, kicking herself for not having anything better to say.

"I suppose all I can do is my best to teach them what they need to know. They'll wish they had listened to me when it's O.W.L.s time." He smiled at his own cleverness.

"Malfoy, how can you be so calm about everything? I mean, from what you've told me, it seems you're unable to escape your father's shadow. Doesn't that make you angry at all?" Now his smile was gentler.

"Hermione," she winced slightly at the sound of her name coming out of his mouth, "you have to understand, I was virtually alone for ten years. I had nothing but time to reflect. I realized my father was wrong and that as long as I knew it, it didn't matter what anyone else thought. Whether they figured I would follow in his step was of no importance to me. I would do what I would need to despite everyone else." Hermione felt a bit of her old passions from her S.P.E.W days swelling up inside of her.

"Well it's not fair that you are trying for a better life and they refuse to let you forget it. I mean, who do they think they are?"

"Yes, well, as I said, I can't let them get the best of m—"

"No Draco! It's not as easy as self-will. You can't just turn the other cheek; you have to let them know that you won't stand for it! You have to be active in clearing your name!" He remained stunned looking at her. "Well, don't you have anything to say?"

"You called me Draco." She stopped in her pacing. She did call him Draco, for practically the first time in her life. She looked at him to find him smiling, but she couldn't let him get the wrong idea.

"Draco, I'm going to help you with your students, but not because we're friends, but because there is not greater injustice than a child not learning, and they can't learn if they have the wrong idea about you." His smile faded slightly, but it was still there in some fashion.

"Do you think we'll ever be friends then?" She looked down at her hands.

"I don't know."

"Well I suppose that's better than a flat 'no.' So when do you want to speak to my classes?" She perked back up.

"Today, of course! When is your next class?"

"In an hour."

"Then I'll be in your classroom in an hour." Hermione gathered her things and gave him a quick nod before leaving the room.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hermione's head was swimming as she reentered her office. She had thirty minutes until Draco's class began and she could barely think straight. She grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and began writing to the one person who always understood her.

_Dear Ginny,_

_How is everything? Tell Harry, Albus Severus, Lily Luna, and James Sirius I said hello. I know the children are growing beautifully and I can't believe your oldest is going to be attending here next year. It's all so surreal._

_Well, I know I saw you only two weeks ago, but I need a friend right now like you wouldn't believe, and this is the part of the letter that you make sure that Harry nor Ron are around to hear. Now you may know that Draco Malfoy is the current DADA teacher here, and if you don't, I'm telling you now. Apparently time away has done him good. Here's where it gets strange. Ginny, he wants to be my friend. I know, it's shocking, but he asked to see me on the first day of classes and after starting off rude, he wanted to play nice. I've been avoiding him all week, but now he needs my help with his students. They're being cruel about his father and I don't think I can morally stand by and let them abuse him like that, but then again, the amount of anger I have towards him makes me think he's getting what he deserves._

_Oh, Ginny I need your help. I just don't know what to do anymore. Not only am I struggling with this whole teaching but now I have all these conflicting feelings about Draco. God, I never thought I'd say such a thing. Well, tell me what you think of all this._

_Love much, Hermione._

_P.S. There is a student in my class that fancies me. He seems innocent enough, but he gives me the creeps, and that situation too needs your guidance._

She put her quill down, folded the letter and ran quickly to the owlery to send her letter off.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Calm down everyone. Before I begin class, we have guest with us today. Professor Granger would like to say a few words." Hermione held her head high and walked slowly up the aisle. She made her heels clack loudly to as to intimidate; she wanted these children afraid of her. She stopped beside Draco and gave him a quick nod then looked out over the students.

"So this is what a group of intelligent and bright third years is supposed to look like. I am correct, they are third years?" She turned to look at Draco and he silently nodded his head. "Well you could have fooled me. To think that a group of so called 'intelligent' students could show such a blatant lack of disrespect for one of their own professors is shameful. None of you know Professor Malfoy well enough to even assume you know of his past. I have had the pleasure of know Professor Malfoy since our first year together at this school and I can tell you that each of you are so unbelievably fortunate to have him as your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. There are wizards and witches in this world that would sooner shrink your head than say hello. There are spells capable of turning you inside-out or into a monstrous animal that is, in Muggle terms, on a 'shoot to kill' list." Hermione looked at the now terrified group of children. She gave them a moment for her information to sink in before beginning again in a softer voice.

"There are and will always be dangers in our world that you will need to be able to protect yourself from and to know that you are learning defensive spells from someone who has dealt with these spells first hand should help you all sleep soundly at night. I am not proud of any of you right now, and if I hear of anymore negative talk from any of you about Professor Malfoy, you can expect another visit from me, and next time I'll be extremely angry."

Hermione turned back to Draco and gave another nod then walked back down the aisle, grinning to whole way as the students all leaned away from her. She couldn't believe that she was now defending Draco Malfoy, of all people.

**The end of another chapter. I just realized it introduced a crap ton of characters that I now have to play with. Oh well, I'll figure something out! Don't forget to review!!**


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